THE leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded the immediate withdrawal of soldiers and other armed security personnel from its secretariat in Abuja, urging the international community to take notice of the escalating erosion of democratic principles in Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, had earlier in a text message sent to the group WhatsApp platform of Labour Correspondents on Wednesday night in Abuja, said: “Comrades, armed security men, both in uniform and mufti, just invaded the Labour House in their numbers and were at the 10th Floor and 2nd Floor.”
The Congress alleged that on Wednesday night, August 7, a large contingent of armed security personnel, believed to be from the Department of State Service (DSS) and Nigeria Police Force (NPF), stormed its Labour House secretariat, forcibly entering, ransacking several floors and confiscating books and files, claiming the seized materials were used to fuel and organise the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
NLC, in a statement condemning the raid, signed by the Head of Media and Public Relations, Mr. Benson Upah, said: “This evening, about 8.30pm, long after the close of work, a troop of heavily armed security operatives invaded the Labour House in Central Business District, Abuja, which serves as the national headquarters and secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
“The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black tee-shirts, presumably from the Department of State Services (DSS), and others on outright mufti, swooped on the 10th Floor of the NLC and arrested the security operative on duty and then commandeered him to the second floor, where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices.
“When he told them that he had no such keys on him, they broke into the floor and ransacked the bookshop on the 2nd floor, carting away hundreds of books and other publications.
“The invading troop claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the #EndBadGoveranance protests.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress condemns in its entirety, this new low in security operations in Nigeria. The armed security operatives showed no legal document permitting them to invade the premises of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the ungodly hours of the night.
“Even in the dark days of military rule, NLC secretariats were never invaded and ransacked by security agents. Today is indeed a very sad day for our democracy.
“Just this afternoon, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC took note and vehemently condemned the high-handed manner that security agents manhandled protesters in many parts of the country and the needless bloodshed that ensued.
“We also condemned the sweeping mass arrests of those perceived to have led the protest and also frowned at the reckless use of ‘treason’ to describe the protest and demanded for moderation.
“What we did not see coming was the invasion of the Labour House by masked and heavily-armed security operatives hours later.”
It added: “In the light of the foregoing and the ominous sign it portends for democratic rights, freedom of speech and association, and the unimpeachable right of citizens to protest peacefully on any issue they feel strongly about, we call on the international community to take note of the deterioration of democratic principles in the bid to turn Nigeria into a Police State.
“Given the experience of the leadership of the NLC in recent times at the receiving end of the naked brute force of the state, especially the near daylight assassination of the NLC president by security operatives and thugs, our fears of a Nigerian state that is descending into enforced brutality are well founded. We fear that the situation might deteriorate.
“Finally, we demand the immediate withdrawal of the troop of invading security agents from the premises of the Labour House, Abuja.
“We also demand that all the books and materials carted away by the invading security operatives should be returned unfailingly to where they were taken from before the end of work tomorrow, August 8, 2024.
“We make this demand given the illegality of the operation, as there was no court order for the invasion, ransacking and looting of the publications.”
There have been no official statements from the security agencies regarding the incident.
